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Memorial Day lures all types into outdoors The Memorial Day holiday weekend often is a crapshoot for outdoor enthusiasts. More often than not the weather's the pits. Then there's the crowds and the traffic. For many, however, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the outdoor recreation season. And whether or not Mother Nature decides to give us a break, opportunities abound across Eastern Washington, from fishing to camping to boating. The spring chinook hatchery fishing season on the lower Columbia may be history, but there are plenty of salmon surging upstream into Columbia River tributaries above Bonneville Dam, most notably Drano Lake and the Wind River. There also is some extended chinook fishing on the Snake River, above Little Goose Dam. Joe Hymer, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist in Vancouver, said chinook fishing has been strong on both tributaries, with boat anglers last week averaging one chinook for every 2 1/2 rods. The best prospect over the next two weeks, he said, should be in the Wind River as the chinook head upstream. Anglers on both waters can keep four salmonids, two of which can be hatchery steelhead, and anglers can keep any spring chinook. Closer to home, state biologist Jim Cummins in Yakima said spring chinook fishing is heating up at Ringold on the Columbia River north of Pasco and on the middle stretch of the Yakima. Fishing at Ringold is not expected to be as good as anglers experienced last year, "but there should be plenty of fish to harvest for several weeks," he said. The steelhead and salmon season at Ringold closes June 15. The Yakima River is open to salmon from the Highway 223 bridge at Granger to about 3,500 feet below Roza Dam. Only hatchery salmon can be kept using a single-point, barbless hook with a gap from point to shank of 3/4 inch or less to promote easier release of wild fish. The daily limit is two adipose fin-clipped salmon. On the Snake, the stretch from the Texas Rapids boat launch to the Corps of Engineers' boat launch, about one mile upstream of Little Goose Dam, is open until Monday, then from Thursday to June 2. Smallmouth bass fishing is still going strong on the lower Yakima, with fish in the 1- to 2-pound range common, with a few lunkers up to 6 pounds reported. Prespawn activity also is under way on the lower Snake River and on the Columbia below McNary Dam. Water temperatures in both areas are in the low- to mid-50s, which should begin to trigger the smallmouth's urge to seek out spawning sites. Anglers should be aware that there are new statewide rules on bass, including the Yakima, where there is no catch limit on bass less than 12 inches from the Highway 223 bridge downstream to the mouth. But only one bass over 17 inches can be kept. Cummins said research indicates the smaller bass eat significant numbers of salmon smolts in the lower Yakima downstream. For that reason, anglers are encouraged to catch as many of the smaller bass as they want. Statewide, the new rule for bass is a daily limit of five fish, and only bass less than 12 inches or greater than 17 inches can be kept. But only one bass over 17 inches can be brought home. Confused? Read on. Several waters, however, still retain the old rules of no more than three bass over 15 inches and five-fish limit, including the Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam, the Snake River and Moses Lake. New statewide rules on walleye also have changed to a five-fish limit with a minimum size of 16 inches and no more than one fish over 22 inches. Madonna Luers, a Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman in Spokane, said holiday anglers might want to try their luck at Sprague Lake, which should have "tons of walleye to harvest," based on the new regulations. However, like bass, there are exceptions to the walleye rule, including Moses Lake, the Snake River and the Columbia below the Highway 395 (blue bridge) in Pasco. On these waters, the old walleye standard - no minimum size, a 10-fish limit and no more than five over 18 inches and no more than one over 24 inches - remains in force. Luers said keeping the old rules for the Snake and Columbia matches those in Oregon. I'd recommend that every angler read all the new fishing regs in the state's 2002-03 Fishing in Washington pamphlet, available at fishing license vendors throughout the Tri-Cities. It's also a good idea to keep a copy in your tackle box or in your boat. Campers and hikers heading afield this weekend are reminded that they might run into hungry bears, skunks, raccoons and cougars, attracted to campsites by the smell of food and garbage. Luers said that while cougars are strictly predators, they could be drawn to small animals that hang around untidy camps. "The best advice is to keep a clean camp and hike in groups," she said. Another problem for wildlife officials this weekend is the temptation that campers and hikers have to "adopt" wild baby animals. Deer fawns, for example, often are left alone by their mothers for short periods of time to avoid drawing predators to their own scent. "In the wild, there are very few orphans, and few people - other than licensed wildlife rehabilitators - know how to care for them," she said. If that's not reason enough, it's also against the law to harbor wild animals. For those who plan to fish or relax on their boats this weekend, the state reminds all mariners to know their limits and remember the four basic rules of small-boating: Limit overloading your boat; limit boating to safe weather and water conditions; limit alcohol consumption; and limit your movements in the boat. "But accidents can happen to careful boaters who know their limits," said Mark Kenney, boating law enforcement coordinator for the state Parks and Recreation Commission. "Wearing a lifejacket is your best insurance should you be involved in an accident," he said. For the record, six people have died in recreational boating accidents in Washington since Jan. 1, and four of the six were not wearing lifejackets. Kenney said all boats are required to carry Coast Guard-approved lifejackets for each person on board and children 12 and under are required to wear a lifejacket on the open deck of any boat under 19 feet. The more I think about it, staying home, flying the flag and grilling a steak sounds like a pretty safe and relaxing way to spend the holiday that honors our nation's fallen veterans.
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